The
Mediterranean diet is declared Intangible Cultural heritage of humanity by the UNESCO
En 1960 The Mediterranean diet was the
way we feed ourselves. It has now been declared Intangible Cultural heritage of
humanity. There are indications that Spain, like other countries of the
Mediterranean, is moving away from this model of life and dietary pattern. It
is to safeguard their heritage.
The Mediterranean diet has been declared
Intangible Cultural heritage of humanity the day 16 November 2010 during the
fifth session of the Intergovernmental Committee of Unesco held in Nairobi
(Kenya) for the safeguarding of this heritage. This application has been
prepared and submitted jointly by Spain, Greece, Italy and Morocco, and
technically coordinated by the Mediterranean diet Foundation, to preserve a
cultural and culinary legacy that defines and identifies the Mediterranean
territories for centuries. "The first feeling is satisfaction and
emotion" said Lluis Serra, President of the Mediterranean diet Foundation.
"Satisfaction by reward years of hard work well done. Excitement by having
fulfilled this dream that opens a future full of possibilities".Beyond the
health benefits scientifically, contrasted the Mediterranean diet is a
lifestyle that balances the individual with their environment, both in what
respect to nature as their social and cultural world. And it is precisely in
this sphere that the Mediterranean diet becomes legacy and legacy have to
transmit it. Nothing can be transmitted, if not live, if it is not taken as
their own. There are indications that
Spain, like other countries of the Mediterranean is moving away from this model
of life. In this task of preserving our cultural heritage food, the roadmap of
the Mediterranean diet Foundation would be the bringing together and involve
civil society, institutions and private entities to build bridges and find
synergies that will improve their visibility and compliance.
We live
as we eat
Se says we are what we eat. To be precise, I should say that we live as
we eat. Every day menus determine our way of life, our work, our family and
social relationships.When the food industry appeals to the concept of the
kitchen of the grandmother, is that something has been broken and to retrieve
that thread of healthy cuisine that is part of our culture and tradition, with
prescribed schedules and order meals.If to this we add, the advertising part of
the food industry pressure, who does not fall into the temptation to eat what
we promise, although it's not too healthy and do it fast and running. In the
50s of the last century, which is when Ancel Keys coined the term Mediterranean
diet, it was said that what doesn't kill, fattening.On this, it is precisely
our detour in food. A shift away from the Mediterranean diet brings more
cardiovascular diseases, more diabetes, and more hypertension.
The best
diet against cardiovascular diseases
In the 60s, the resident population in Crete,
southern Greece and the southern part of Italy had a life expectancy among the
highest in the world and all of this despite constraints in the medical and
health services. Myocardial infarction is almost unknown and cancer hardly
exists. This reality that has been known in the world thanks to the seven
countries study, carried out by Keys, put shows that the diet, lifestyle,
social relations and the environment, (climate and environmental factors) have
a great importance in health.Following this study, the Mediterranean diet has
been imposed as a dietary pattern worldwide. The reason, your type of power
which is based on olive oil, fresh vegetables, fruits and cereals in the form
of bread or pasta, oily fish, lamb and poultry and a little wine at meals.
Extra virgin olive oil is certainly the ingredient that brings together the
Mediterranean concept. Only there are olive trees, beyond where the
Mediterranean climate is given.Foods rich in monounsaturated fats, whose
classic and main representative is Virgin olive oil, are more beneficial than
other vegetable oils. There is no fat with the healthy benefits of Virgin olive
oil and helps to control cholesterol, arteriosclerosis and blood pressure -
which affects a lower risk of cardiovascular disease-; It is useful in the
treatment and prevention of some types of diabetes and can help protect the
organism against certain types of cancer, especially the breast.Nothing serves
to stoke up a food because they tell us that it is very healthy and set aside
other... When more than 50 years ago no
one counted calories or thought of as partitioning percentage protein, fats and
carbohydrates in a meal, diet Mediterranean was the way we feed ourselves. It
is now when it has been declared Cultural intangible heritage of humanity,
becoming an abstract concept. In those times the challenge, is to internalize
our way of life and food, even though we have to learn to eat again.
The
diet is a set and each food has its place
